Parliament has ordered investigations into a secretive multi-billion shillings deal reached by the Kenyan and Israeli government for the supply of CCTV cameras.
The contract was awarded to an Israeli firm with the rights to supply CCTV cameras for surveillance on the new Ksh 48 billion Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline.
The cameras will enhance security in the 450km pipeline commissioned two months ago.
Legislators want Auditor-General Edward Ouko to probe how Kenya and Israel entered into a government-to-government deal for direct procurement of the security cameras.
“I am told that this deal was done recently and if its government-to-government, we need to confirm where the funds are coming from,” Public Investments Committee (PIC) chairman Abdulswamad Nassir stated on Thursday.
“We have information that the deal was signed in Telaviv and yes, there is some wave of truth that Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Energy went to Israel and there was single sourcing done,” he added.
Nassir further remarked that the deal runs into a couple of billions and that the Auditor-General will be able to ascertain the truth if indeed such a contract has been signed.
Manyata MP Muchiri Nyagah mentioned that government-to-government deals have resulted into the theft of public money in the past.
“This is where theft is happening. There are plenty of procurement irregularities in government-to-government arrangements,” he remarked.
In July 2014, an Israeli firm, Zakhem International Company, had also won a contract to construct the new multi-billion pipeline.
PIC investigated the large cost variation by the contractor which is seeking additional Ksh 4.4 billion for operational delays in the building of the pipeline.
The payment is yet to be approved.
